This invention relates to a connector assembly for interconnecting two conductors and, more particularly, to such a connector assembly having sealing membranes covering the mating ends of the connecting components to enclose and protect the interiors thereof.
The contacts or conductors in many connectors in use today are highly susceptible to contamination by moisture, dust, dirt and other atmospheric borne related contaminants. Particularly susceptible to such contamination are micro-miniature connectors wherein the mating contacts are extremely small and fiber optical connectors, such as the Optalign.TM. connector described and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,225,214 and assigned to TRW Inc., the assignee of the present invention, in which the abutting conductors or fibers are extremely small. In addition, as a proposed modification to the Optalign.TM. connector described in the aforesaid U.S. patent, the abutting fiber ends are coated with a liquid to obtain a more even joint upon coupling of the connector components. The use of such a liquid on the fiber ends makes the connector and its fibers extremely susceptible to contamination from particles of dust, dirt and the like because the liquid tends to attract and retain such particles, thereby decreasing the effectiveness of the optical connection and the entire optical circuit.
Many prior art connectors have been developed to provide a tight seal which is effective in preventing such contamination when the two connector components are connected together. While it is desirable to maintain such a tight sealing relationship between the connector components, such an arrangement has been found to be ineffective in protecting the exposed conductors or contacts from contamination during the times when the connector components are not interconnected.
Other prior art connector assemblies have included tightly fitting plugs or caps which snap on or screw over the mating ends of each of the unconnected connector components to provide a tight seal against contamination of the conductor or contact within the connector components. While such plugs or caps are effective in protecting the conductors or contacts from contamination when the connector components are not interconnected, they make interconnection of the connector components somewhat cumbersome in that they generally cannot be removed with one hand, thereby necessitating the separate removal of the plug or cap from each component prior to interconnection; at least a three-step process. In addition, once they are removed from the connector components, such plugs or caps are susceptible to being lost or misplaced so as to not be readily available for replacement over the ends of the connector components whenever the components are disengaged. Moreover, even if they are readily available, due to the inherent multi-step process involved in removing and replacing the plugs or caps, they are not always properly employed by service and user personnel in the field during the time that the connector components are uncoupled.
In an effort to overcome the inherent disadvantages of the plug or cap connector component sealing methods, some prior art electrical connector manufacturers and others have permanently installed a thin flexible sealing membrane or diaphragm over the mating end of each of the connector components. While the connector components are uncoupled, this diaphragm effectively protects the contacts or conductors within the connector components from contamination from dust, dirt, moisture and the like. Upon the interconnection of the two components, a contact pin passes through the diaphragms or through registered slots in the diaphragms to complete the connection. Upon disengagement of the connector components, the contact pin is withdrawn, the diaphragms or slots again automatically sealing the ends of the connector components to protect against contamination of the contacts. Once example of such a diaphragm-covered connector assembly is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,109,989 entitled "Environmentally Sealed Electrical Connector".
While the diaphragm covered connector of the type disclosed in the aforesaid U.S. Pat. No. 4,109,989 provides relatively effective automatic contamination protection without the use of extraneous plugs or caps and is relatively simple to operate, it is not suitable for employment in all connector applications. For example, in a micro-miniature electrical connector assembly, the contact pin may be so small that the operation of passing the pin through such a diaphragm, or even through tightly closed slots in such a diaphragm, would damage the contact pin, thereby rendering the connector assembly unserviceable. Likewise, in a fiber optical connector, such as the aforementioned Optalign.TM. connector, the conducting optical fibers are too small and brittle to pass through even a thin diaphragm (or slots therein) without resulting in detrimental effects upon the fibers.
The present invention, which is particularly suitable for fiber optical connections, overcomes the deficiencies of the prior art diaphragm-sealed connector assemblies by providing a connector assembly wherein the mating ends of the components are covered with elastomeric sealing membranes having slits therein and having displacement means to automatically stretch the membranes to open the slits to permit passage of the conductor therethrough during engagement and disengagement of the connector components.